July '09 Discussion: Curse of the Mistwraith Rollcall (I have read)

[Robin]

Post here if you have read Curse of the Mistwraith.

[This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For]

Robin, you mixed your titles of the read/reading up with the content :-)

I have read this in the past and don't have time to read it again right now, although I may join in the discussion if I can dig enough out of my memory.

[Robin]

I don't understand what you are talking about - it is just fine .... now ..... how are things there with you. ;-)

[Tracy]

I've read this book three or four times now, probably will do a re-read(or at least a quick skim through). I'm debating reading through the series now or waiting until I purchase the US release of Traitor's Knot and Stormed Fortress later this year.

[Jon]

I finished this over the weekend. Looking forward to the discussion.

[Tracy]

I finished up my current read through. As I expected, skimming through wasn't really possible. The read through took a bit longer than I thought it would, but mostly because I kept playing Fallout3. (Ah, my love for computer games will always be secondary to my my love for books, but the siren song of a new game can still compel me...)

[Clansman]

I have read this book three or four times, like Tracy. It is the first book in a long and as yet unfinished series, though I understand Wurts is on contract with Harper Collins UK to complete the series. Three books remain to be written (one is well along in the writing), and there are eight nice fat books that would be excellent summer reading.

In my opinion, this series is the best that epic fantasy has to offer, as it is thematically rich, complex, has an incredible tapestry of characters, and Wurts does not shy from using the full breadth of the English language. This is easily as good as Martin, and better than Erikson. Curse sets up the whole series, and do not expect these characters, or the feelings you have about them in this book, to stay the same. They change from book to book. Wurts also does not waste any scenes. They always come back to mean something later in the book or in the series.

Can you tell I love this book? I will probably read it again and again. Unapologetic Wurts fan though I am, if you do not like heavy literature, if you are not willing to dedicate some decent blocks of reading time, then don't read this. This is not light reading, but rather deep and thoughtful, and if you have to give it the time it deserves and requires. If you like rich and thought-provoking fantasy, then this is your cup of tea.

[Jim]

Lochaber wrote: "I have read this book three or four times, like Tracy. It is the first book in a long and as yet unfinished series, though I understand Wurts is on contract with Harper Collins UK to complete the ..."

Good news! She just announced that it's a done deal!!!
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

[Charles]

First of all, I MUST respond to the incredibly good news from Janny Wurts' publisher -- AS I PREDICTED the series has been 1)returned to North American distribution, and 2) been given publishing grace to complete the last 3(?!?!) books, which amounts to unconditional grace.
CONGRATULATIONS, JANNY. Athera will find its consummation (bet that'll be neat) and WL&S will have its well-deserved place as a new direction in fantasy literarture's history. Apologies to my pagan and atheist friends as I say Praise God, whose wisdom encompasses all, and who still separates the wheat from the chaff -- in this case, some very fine wheat indeed.

[Janny]

Charles wrote: "First of all, I MUST respond to the incredibly good news from Janny Wurts' publisher -- AS I PREDICTED the series has been 1)returned to North American distribution, and 2) been given publishing gr..."

Charles, I'm bright red!!! Thank you.

[Janny]

Well, this morning was a corker! Here (wry grin!) I thought I'd written a series with muscle, and I just got a note from a happy reader who started Curse of the Mistwraith at nine years of age...scary, her!

Look out for the next generation. If she sets the bar, we're in for some amazing stuff on this earth.

[Clansman]

Janny wrote: "Well, this morning was a corker! Here (wry grin!) I thought I'd written a series with muscle, and I just got a note from a happy reader who started Curse of the Mistwraith at nine years of age...sc..."

NINE YEARS OLD?!?!? Wow. That is a literate kid.

[Stefan]

No kidding. I'm 36 and I'm having trouble keeping up!

Two more chapters to go before I can jump into the midway spoiler thread Janny just started...

[Janny]

Stefan wrote: "No kidding. I'm 36 and I'm having trouble keeping up!

Two more chapters to go before I can jump into the midway spoiler thread Janny just started..."

Does anybody "keep up" with anything, anyway? At each stage of life, different things hold importance. Stories change, often radically, with age and insight. Past question, at 36, there is much more to absorb in a story designed with layers of interconnected complexity.

[Barbm1020]

I have it on order at the library and am looking forward to a good read!

[Jim]

I have finished it! Wow!

Now I'm going to read all the spoiler topics.

[Charles]

Third read reveals that I had missed less than I had thought of the actual story. What I am getting this time is to really see the layering of the writing -- story, characters, and especially the scene changes...incredible text-designing, very elegant...no cruising and no assumptions will hold for long. Best read yet.

[John]

Well, I'm late to the dance.

Thanks to the constraints of moving from PA to IN, I only just finished the book yesterday. Now that you're all done talking, I can read the threads and post my $.02 if I still have that much to say.

I think I must have bought Curse of the Mistwraith back in the '90s, probably late in high school, right when the first mass-market paperback came out (which is the edition I have). I thought I had started reading it and given up, but now I really think I just never read it. Can't say why.

Before I started this time around, I did read Janny's post on where the story came from, and I grew more and more excited about it. I've harbored vague ideas of writing epic fantasy for some years, and all the things Janny talked about seemed like exactly the kind of fantasy I would have wanted to write. And, therefore, exactly the kind I want to read.

Maybe my expectations were therefore too high, because I wasn't totally satisfied. I did like it--just not as much as I hoped I would. Don't get me wrong, this *is* exactly the kind of dense fantasy that I love--big fan of Bakker, Erikson, and Martin. I wasn't at all put off by the scope, the language, the shifting viewpoints. And, although I say I wasn't totally satisfied, I did enjoy the experience and will almost certainly pick up later books.

I'm going to have to brood on it a bit, read some of the topics here, and see if I can't in the process better hammer out my thoughts on this novel.

[Janny]

Hi John - welcome - late isn't any problem, I know there are (even yet) a few still reading. I hope people would feel free to join in at any time.

[Grimward]

While waiting for Initiate's Trial to make its appearance in hardback (have to get my plugs in where I can!), I am re-reading Curse for what might actually be the 5th time. Having so much more of the "history" known to the "Seventh Age Sages" under my belt this time thru gives a different flavor to the story, and I'm finding myself enjoying different parts of the book from those I liked best on the previous passes. It's not every day, even in this genre, where one comes across a first book of a series that actually "ages" well with the subsequent books and still has fresh perspectives to offer the re-reader...

[Suman]

14 months later, I'm looking to where to put comments on Curse of the Mistwraith. I can start here by saying I've just reread it for the 3th or 4th time.

[Bill]

Janny wrote: "...Does anybody "keep up" with anything, anyway? At each stage of life, different things hold importance. Stories change, often radically, with age and insight. Past question, at 36, there is much more to absorb in a story designed with layers of interconnected complexity. ..."

So true. Books I read as a kid or as recent as a decade ago and disliked have real meaning today. It works in reverse too. Someone said, "The cruellest thing you can do to Kerouac is reread him at thirty-eight." Whata drag. How can one recapture those feelings?

[Janny]

Kernos wrote: "Janny wrote: "...Does anybody "keep up" with anything, anyway? At each stage of life, different things hold importance. Stories change, often radically, with age and insight. Past question, at 36, ..."

For curiosity - you are reading Mistwraith, and wondered how you missed this series on its release date - would you have reacted the same way to this story then, as now?

[Bill]

In those days before online access to the world of books and booksellers, I lived in a rural area with the nearest bookstore 90 minutes away. I did most of my SFF buying via the Science Fiction Book Club. I have been a continuous member of the SFBC since the mid 1950s. So unless a book was offered by the SFBC, I would not know about it. Riftwar and Empire were. Was WLS? If it were, I might have been awaiting a trilogy completion or some such. It was hard to find out series details in those days. Now, there are almost too many sources of information. I have a subscription to Locus which I use for pre-orders and discovering new authors. But, I think GR has become my prime source for books to read.

I'm about half way thru Mistwraith and am finding it 'brilliant', as the Brits say. I think I would have reacted similarly in '93. It was a high period for epic fantasy for me. But, I would have been frustrated that the next book was not yet available. The main difference, if I had read, would be that I would have re-read the books more than once by now and be much more fluent in people and place names and would have the world map committed to memory.

In some ways it's fun being a neophyte among so many experts about the series. I feel like an innocent ;-) Biggest problem so far: which prince to identify with!

[Janny]

Ah, the Book Club. That would have narrowed your choices, a lot! I've discovered new authors thru that venue (notably Guy Kay) but it's not comprehensive.

There are plenty of neophytes with this series, at the moment, since (like the Malazan series) for a long while it was only available in the UK. It's just recently back on the shelves in the US, and even, many readers have not caught up with the latest ones, yet.

And you're right, the nice part about it - you won't have the wait. Better - if you choose to re-read, you will see so many more layers and levels. Each volume will tend to revise your opinion about what has gone on in the prior ones.

It will be fun to see which prince you identify with, when - as events will change every character.

As for a trilogy completion - some thought Warhost was the finish...while each arc does come to a conclusive end point, that would only finish one phase of the story.

[Bill]

Oh yes, the book club is limiting. Now I mainly use it to get hardcovers and omnibus editions not available elsewhere.

I did not realize your books were 1st UK releases. I'll bet there is an interesting story surrounding that. I tend to buy UK editions, esp if an author is British. I have a perhaps unreasonable fear a book will be dumbed down or cleaned up for American audiences. Movie releases are certainly so done.

The prince I'm liking best at this point is Arithon. He is seeming more complex and I have been a frustrated musician for as long as I can remember. I'm just beyond his picking the 'ugly' instrument from the vault—an amazing scene. And, I am very cogniscent of the expectations, duty vs desires conflict.

A question I meant to ask: I have the 1995, 900+ page HC, ISBN 0061052167. Does this include both Ships and Warhost, as someone, somewhere suggested?

[Janny]

Oh, yes, there's a story behind the UK first releases. If you really wanna know...say so. ;)

Your ISBN is the first USA edition of Ships of Merior in HARDBACK, and YES, you hold the entire second arc under one cover - Ships and Warhost inclusive. THAT is the way I prefer that story to be read, as one volume - but the size made it a split enterprise. If you join in any of the discussions, you would define the division at PART II as Warhost - that is where the book was split.

The US editions were NOT dumbed down. The differences in text are extremely minor: because they came out second, sometimes a mistake or repeat word was corrected; in a very VERY few cases, there was a change in language to reflect American usage...not dumbed down, there actually are differences that the UK editors refused to allow, that the US reader would prefer to see as written. (My primary publisher IS London, yet, I am an American author).

In the case of Warhost, when it was separated out into its own volume, I created a bit of verse to go over Chapter I, to fit with all prior volumes. Because Ships' US hardback came out prior, I could not add this bit. So that is the ONLY thing you are missing.

[Suman]

Kernos, I'm glad you've started this discussion. I'm enjoying your questions and Janny's responses. :-)

I normally re-read the hardcover of "Ships" that you have, Kernos. Now I have to see if I have the paperback of "Warhost" somewhere and look up that verse. ;-)

[Sandra]

Kernos, so glad you are enjoying... here's hoping you become as much of an addict as the rest of us!

[Bill]

I'd certainly like to know how you ended up with UK publishers, Janny. I would think it unusual for a US author to have a UK publisher?

[Janny]

I don't know how uncommon the case. Originally, I had both. In the course of a career as long as mine, inevitably the original buying editor changes, no matter which side of the pond.

Sometimes, editors moved into a job with another publisher, and often, they'd take their authors with them.

When the corporate model invaded the field, there was a barracuda like feeding frenzy that resulted in one hostile takeover after the next. Companies merged overnight, then merged again. There was always the promise nothing would change; always came the bloodbath and the firing. Then, to streamline for profit and meet quarterly bottom lines, everything downsized; staff got mercilessly cut. Lists, too, were reduced, and in the rubble, many authors lost their advocates.

This series was an odd case, also, in that, the first volume was left with one publisher, while Ships and the rest went forward went to another. At that time HarperCollins NY and HarperCollins UK looked to be working closer together; I'd been told Vol I would be bought in to make the series contiguous with one house, but that didn't happen. The NY branch and the UK office pretty much parted into separate entities, though the rumbles now (with the market going global) suggest this may change, yet again.

Long story short - the series got orphaned three times in the USA (meaning, the acquiring editors were no longer there on the books' release dates) and three times also, in Britain; there were also multiple mergers, on both sides.

Only difference: luck. In Britain, somehow, someone stepped up who became the series' advocate. From Grafton/become Collins/become HarperCollins, ALL my works were under one roof. Despite the mergers, the story won over somebody who made certain that the series stayed continuously in print, and there were no glitches.

It made sense, then, when the US rights returned to me that I'd place the series with the London office. Not only did that put all the books back onto the shelf in one year, with no wait, I have the confidence the last volumes will finish out with the same continuity. The last three are all solidly signed under contract, (one's already written in full) which will make it easier for me, and the readers, to finish out with no further interruptions. Also, the release dates will be synchronized for the first time, ever.

Just have a 7 year 'eclipse' period to overcome here in the states - there are many US readers who missed out when the books were only available in the UK.

[Bill]

Thanks Janny. I wondered if it had to do with the corporate shakeup and internationalization of publishers. I did not know that editors "controlled' the authors, ie could take them with them to new corps. It is a bit disturbing that corporations control artistic endeavors.

For the last decade or so, I have gotten a lot of books from UK dealers (primarily Amazon, but there are also Kennys Books in Ireland and some local bookshops), because they were not yet available in the US. These are mostly from UK or Commonwealth authors, which I have a fondness for. Ricardo Pinto, Stephen Baxter, Stephen Lawhead, Juliet Marillier... come to mind. In any case is should no longer matter to US aficionados that a book is only available in the UK. They can be acquired if needed. Last decade, eBay was also a source I would use.

I find it interesting that a major SFF author, CJ Cherryh with 2 other to me unfamiliar authors have started a self publishing site, Closed Circle so they can publish their "orphaned offspring". FFI, read the "about us" page. I don't think Cherryh could or would move her Foreigner or Alliance-Union Universe novels to self-publishing. But, I wonder if this is the future, a future in which art can trump $£€? But they still need good editors!!!

I'm wondering what you think of this endeavor, Janny?

[Janny]

Kernos wrote: "Thanks Janny. I wondered if it had to do with the corporate shakeup and internationalization of publishers. I did not know that editors "controlled' the authors, ie could take them with them to new..."

Editors don't 'control' authors; actually, publishers have an 'option' clause in their contracts that allow them to have first dibs at an author's next work. So moving isn't encouraged. If an editor LIKED an author enough to take them along, it often involved a bidding war.

The industry can get pretty convoluted; obviously an author wants to have a partner in house who is passionately involved with their creations. In the case of an abrupt shift, or 'being orphaned' often a book will fall into the hands of a successor who has not even read it; and given the horrible time constraints upon understaffed editorial departments, often a book handled by a successor will stay unread; loyalties (naturally) lie with the authors they bought and backed; it gets politically messy - and tastes, as we see so vividly here on GoodReads, vary widely.

Incentive also lies with the amount a publisher has invested in a title; how hard MUST they work to recoup their stake in it. If the takeover editor has other stuff they Want by preference, they will (naturally) tailor their efforts to see what gets attention and what falls by the wayside.

Add to that: it's cheaper (much!) to buy in an unknown and gamble than to work for something wasn't in your stable to begin with.

I was exceedingly lucky in London that there was somebody in the department in tune with a work that, at that time, was only just starting to show its true colors; this series unveils and shifts and builds with each successive volume, and that, in the early stages, was its strength and drawback. There is NOW enough on the ground, if you stay the distance to Stormed Fortress, to engender that trust.

These stories were not (by design) front loaded for Instant Gratification. They slide into convergency at the half point and punch hard in the final 3 chapter sets - they are geared to payoff.

The complexity involved, and the shifting layers, aren't something you can pop off in a one line catch phrase. To throw this onto someone would be like a plunge off the deep end; it can't be rapped out to the sales force as a sound byte. It is the passion that EMERGES after the convergency that carries the visceral punch. To handle these titles and not have read them - insanity.

As a result a lot of careless errors were made, among them, the LISTING of order of the titles got scrambled - due to blind kneejerk idiocy. (Example: when the takeover happened in the US/Harper became Eos - the incoming Eos production staff looked at the listing of other titles by this author inside the book.

They saw, hey, we didn't publish Curse of the Mistwraith - so - dump that title OFF the list.

They saw: hey, the PAPERBACK version of Ships/Warhost sandwiched the hardback release of Fugitive Prince - hey, put them in order by DATE, not series order (the split in the paperback messed that sequential date up).

They said, Hey - Fugitive Prince is VOLUME 1, so hey, put it on the shelf, and leave OUT the prequels in the marketing strategy...forget keeping them in print.

So for a long while, there READER had no way to know which book to start with, or where to go next. To this day, readers have TRIED to start with Fugitive Prince from this messed up period and gotten totally lost/started this series on the wrong foot.

Made sense, then, to stick with London which has staff who's read the story, and who's kept the contiguous order correct. At least readers now have the opportune chance to find the books in order. :)

About Closed Circle: good for C. J. Cherryh, Jane S. Fancher and Lynn Abbey, who are behind this endeavor. First, all three authors were traditionally published by large houses, and have had serious national distribution/already have a name for themselves. I applaud the fact they are pioneering in this way; because definitely it is not as simple as it looks! They have to maintain the website, do all the tech support, work out the kinks between formats and devices, fend off spam and spiders, and deal with online payment systems that will, guaranteed, turn your hair with frustration...plus, they have to do All the work converting their title over to e format, before there is a uniform platform, and while the field is still freewheeling, establishing the ground rules.

All this activity guarantees to cut into creative time; I think it is a tremendous advantage there are 3 of them with skills in the co-op. Definitely, there are authors watching carefully to see how this develops.

Yes, it has the advantage of higher pay in the author's pocket.

To that, chalk up:
loss of creative time to manage the store
education to maintain online hookups
advertising, paperwork, messing with multiple pay sources - it may indeed be worth it.

But - there IS a loss, overall in the job market - all the production folks no longer have a paycheck; and, the writer is no longer writing with no other demands.

I don't have the answer as to which road any writer should take at this stage; micro publishing and e books are definitely on the upswing. Yes, an editor still must be involved...

So much depends on the numbers and the readers.

I don't think ANY writer would think twice about keeping on a publisher, with many hands to do the work - so long as the numbers work out and that is an option.

Keeping backlist in print IS more of a challenge; and new writers sell themselves very cheap. All that factors in.

I applaud the effort at Closed Circle for the pioneering spirit that it shows. I have read all three of the authors in question, and each one writes a solid story. May their work bear good fruit, I say. I would certainly be buying product from them IF I owned an e reader; not ready to switch off print books yet, I find them too restful, and I HATE batteries.

The air turns blue when I run my ipod batteries down; I can't imagine the language that would erupt if a device crapola'd in the middle of a BOOK!!!

[Bill]

Sigh - When 3 or more humans get together for an endeavor complications accumulate as 10x^(number of individuals involved). Start combining multiple endeavors and a lifetime is to short to have even heard of everything involved.

My profession has become so bamboozled, I would not give it a second glance today. Send me to some backwater planet where I can travel from house to house and heal the sick in peace—please.

Why then do I like complex literature? I don't know, but I do. Mistwraith is fantastic! I am reading very slowly, not only because I miss too much if I read fast, but because the prose is most definitely worth savoring. I am excited about what's coming.

I've got e-readers and a bunch of eBooks, but only seem to era them when I'm waiting in a doc's office or somewhere. I much prefer a real book. I think it habit and comfort. I suspect the current generation, growing up with eBooks will embrace them.

[Sandra]

Kernos wrote: "Sigh - When 3 or more humans get together for an endeavor complications accumulate as 10x^(number of individuals involved). Start combining multiple endeavors and a lifetime is to short to have eve..."

Curse is available as an ebook from B&N. Just thought I'd throw that in to complicate things. I'm excited you're loving it. Read all the way to Stormed Fortress and you will be blown away.

I have all the books in 3 formats. Ebooks, paperback, and hardcover. I like the 'search' function in ebooks.

[Janny]

Kernos wrote: "Sigh - When 3 or more humans get together for an endeavor complications accumulate as 10x^(number of individuals involved). Start combining multiple endeavors and a lifetime is to short to have eve..."

I am not yet ready for the plunge into e books, either, but that would change quick if I had problems with sight.

Nice to see you enjoying and savoring the book!
If you locate the folder from the past discussion, you will find many threads with a lot of insights, as there were many first time readers along for the ride. You'd have to scroll down a ways to find it, though.

[Suman]

Janny wrote: "If you locate the folder from the past discussion, you will find many threads with a lot of insights, as there were many first time readers along for the ride. You'd have to scroll down a ways to find it, though."

To follow Janny's suggestion, let me shamelessly recommend my post on this thread on Fellowship Sorcerors. The post is what I think the Fellowship Sorcerors look like.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

I don't believe I'm spoiling anything for Kernos by posting this, but Kernos if you have any doubt, wait until you get to a certain noteworthy tower in "Curse" before you click this link. It begins with the letter 'A': I trust I haven't spoiled anything by saying this.

I would enjoy alternative suggestions on what readers visualize when they think of the faces of the Sorcerers. I'm sure Janny is *deliberately* keeping quiet: she knows darn well what they look like. :-)

Wouldn't it be nice to have a future edition of "Curse" having black & white illustrations preceding some of the chapters, showing some of the scenes? What if some of those scenes are already done, in beautiful detail in shades of GREY, just waiting to appreciated? My advice is to stay in touch with Janny's posts to find out where she'll be appearing, because she has a sketchbook with intricately detailed art of scenes from this series. All a reader needs to do is approach her and ask nicely. If she's not doing twenty things at once, she's usually quite approachable, and the results are worth seeing—her artistry actually complements her writing very nicely, making you want to reread her books to see those scenes she's drawn.

My other advice? If the books keep selling, then maybe the publishers can consider an illustrated edition of "Curse". Or an art book about the whole series. So if you like the book(s), go ahead and say so to your friends.

Does anyone else like these "art" possibilities?

[Sandra]

Oh yes! I think Janny's art definitely contributes to the story and it would be lovely to have plates, endpapers and maps in the volumes.

I like your visuals of the sorcerers, with the possible exception of Sethvir. I see him more as Dumbledor than Santa. He's too skinny to be Santa, :D. I have an image of Ciladis, though. Sort of monkish, or Francis of Assisi-ish.

[Bill]

LOL Suman. I like your choices so far at this early date except for Kharadmon. I would never think of John Saxon as "cadaverously lean". I was thinking of someone more like James Cromwell who can play stern. And, I'm nor sure about Asandir, yet. I'm afraid I see him like my inner Mithrandir (not the movie Gandalf). Hmm - I wonder if those names are related... But, at this stage I have just begun keeping them straight without going to the glossary.

Speaking of the glossary, Janny. I appreciate the pronunciations. I wonder if there general rules about what syllable should be emphasized? Or are you allowing the reader some leeway. I cannot decide between ah-SAN-deer and ah-san-DEER. And, of course the vowels can have different sounds. I am interpreting the subliminal 'e' at the end of some names similar to the ъ at the end of Russian words.

I read thru the "Coronation" chapter last night and wonder, "geesh, Janny, what have you done to my princes?" There's not enough pages left to resolve much. I am glad I have the other books awaiting my attention! I now do have a clue to what the prior Fellowhship dialogue was all about concerning the princes. And, now the Mistwraith entity(s) take on a complexity I did not expect. This seems a pivotal chapter. Amazing stuff!

I just discovered I have 2 copies of the HC Roc 1st edition, the one I am reading and a never read book with only a remainder mark. Does an author get anything from the used or book markets? I hope so, as I really have trouble reading MMPBs. If not I think I will get the eBooks too, the excuse being I can search them. Are there pplans for the entire series to be released as eBooks?

I'd love to meet Janny and see her art work, say hi and and act like a fan. Not many authors come to SE Missouri. Let me know if you're ever in St. Louis, the closest city to me.

It is big plus that Janny is so active on this group. It makes you so much more real and I think is good promotion too. Would that more mainstream authors were as interested in their fans.

[Clansman]

Hello, gang, after a long absence! Kernos, I always get excited when a WoLaS newbie waxes passionately about their enjoyment of Curse. I am glad you are enjoying it, but your head will spin before this book is over, and just wait: the ride gets a whole lot bumpier, and you will be drawn in in ways you can't imagine.

Have fun!

[Janny]

Suman wrote: "Janny wrote: "If you locate the folder from the past discussion, you will find many threads with a lot of insights, as there were many first time readers along for the ride. You'd have to scroll do..."

Suman, thanks for posting the link.

Darn well, I do know what the Sorcerers look like; there are drawings of them tucked away, here, some in color; and I will be adding on to them, time goes on.

[Janny]

Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Oh yes! I think Janny's art definitely contributes to the story and it would be lovely to have plates, endpapers and maps in the volumes.

I like your visuals of the sorcerers, with the possible e..."

There's a rather clear description of Ciladis in one of the short stories ...

[Janny]

Kernos wrote: "LOL Suman. I like your choices so far at this early date except for Kharadmon. I would never think of John Saxon as "cadaverously lean". I was thinking of someone more like James Cromwell who can p..."

Pronunciations: for Asandir, last syllable as in your second choice. I have created some audio files of my own reading (I am NOT a professional narrator!!!) using Garage Band - so the recordings at least are very clean. They are available as free MP3 downloads from my website, found under the EXCERPTS menu...careful not to listen to volumes you haven't read, yet; there would be spoilers lurking. BUT - they'd have my voice interpretation of the pronunciations right there.

When my trilogy (unrelated) Cycle of Fire - starting with Stormwarden was done by Audible, I sent the narrator (David Thorpe) a recording of all the names and places; so the books followed my concept exactly. I'd hope, if the opportunity for an audio book of Light and Shadows opens up, I could do the same.

On your question concerning authors receiving pay for either USED books or OVERSTOCK sales - no. They don't get a penny. Overstock sales, even, do not count as a 'number' or a sale, either. When a publisher looks at the record to contract an author's next title, they count ONLY SALES OF NEW BOOKS, or direct sales of e books or audio from a legitimate vendor.

That is the hard truth.

Hardbacks of Mistwaith are all out of print - so the only way a new collector can get them is from the secondary market.

I went to St. Louis once, when Don was Guest Artist at the local convention there - who knows what the future holds?

It's a rare privilege for an author to have the opportunity to interact with readers on a forum like this - fun too!

[Bill]

Well I finished Mistwraith last night, and instead of trying to think of something new and clever to say, let me summarize by just saying, "WOW!" Of course I now know there are multiple volumes to look forward to. But this is the sort of complex mega-series I so love in both Science Fiction and Fantasy.

I cannot imagine having to wait for Ships to be published. I hope to read thru the discussion here and make comments/questions this weekend. It sounds a lot more fun than working thru my 'chore list'.

I have a couple of historical questions about the series:

My 1994 hardcovers is subtitled "The Wars of Light and Shadow,Vol.1" And the Ships hardcover just says, "The Wars of Light and Shadow". I wonder when the seemingly unique "Arc" designation was instituted.

On Janny's page on Wikipedia, it ways Mistwraith was published in 1993, but the Mistwraith page on Wikipedia says its HC publication date is given as Jan 1994, on the copyright page as Feb 1994 (1st printing). Was there an edition before the HC edition?

Since I would like to give something back to Janny for the pleasure she has given, I am planning of gifting the series to my granddaughter's iPad. She's 10 which seems bit young to me, but she has already read all of Harry Potter and is working thru LOTR now. How have pre-teens/pubescents reacted to this series?

One final thing before I work thru the other topics on this book and FYI, The 1st book in Arc IV, Initiate's Trial: First book of Sword of the Canon can be preordered on Amazon UK - with a publication date of 10-11/2011 given:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wars-Light-Sh...

I have preordered!

[Clansman]

Kernos, welcome to the land of Wurts! Janny will answer your questions, of course, but here is this humble reader's understanding:

The arcs represent major chunks of the overall series, and there are five:

Arc 1: Curse of the Mistwraith
Arc 2: Ships of Merior (containing Ships & Warhost of Vastmark
Arc 3: The big one, The Alliance of Light. This arc is made up of five books from Fugitive Prince to Stormed Fortress.
Arc 4: The Sword of the Canon, made up of Initiate's Trial and Destiny's Conflict. Set a few hundred years after the events of Stormed Fortress (according to the sneak preview snippets that Janny has been so good to release). Can't tell you more about it than that, 'cause it ain't published.
Arc 5: Song of the Mysteries. Janny says it will be only one volume.

Janny can explain the why way better than I can, so I won't bother.

A ten-year-old reading this series might find it a bit much to digest. It is layer upon layer upon layer of insight and necessary detail, with a lot of action. However, I recall Janny mentioning a pre-teen who devoured her books and had an incredible grasp of the nuances of the story. If she enjoys LOTR, then it might be a good idea. If not, she may be too young. As we all know, the movie version of LOTR was considerably dumbed-down from the print version, and some characters were simply assassinated (Aragorn and Faramir, most notably). The descriptive detail and world-building quality in WoLaS is similar in many respects to what is found in LOTR, so your granddaughter's reaction to LOTR might be a good litmus test.

Not yet able to pre-order in Canada or the USA, though. Just checked Amazon.ca and Amazon.com, and they list the book as being unavailable, but you cannot pre-order.

[Janny]

Kernos wrote: "Well I finished Mistwraith last night, and instead of trying to think of something new and clever to say, let me summarize by just saying, "WOW!" Of course I now know there are multiple volumes to ..."

Can't wait to see your comments, which are bound to bring a unique viewpoint to the discussion so far.

To answer your questions in order:

Curse of the Mistwraith was published by Roc Books in the USA and HarperCollins in the UK. (The reason for the 1993 copyright was because it was issued in London, first; so it's actual first edition would be the British hardcover/trade paperback release in 93)

My buying editor from Roc had moved to HarperCollins in the USA to start a new line. And Britain was very firm, they wanted the entire series with Harper on both sides; there was an auction. Harper edged Roc/therefore book II, Ships, moved houses in the USA. There was a promise made to go back and 'buy out' the rights to book I from Roc. The Plan never happened: Book I continuously sold at Roc/never went out of print, and the buying editor was very shortly moved to another department.

The upshot was a series split between two interests, and while Roc NEVER missed a beat keeping vol I in backlist, there was a lot of confusion and mis-stepping/mistimed glitches with the sequels in the USA. One of them was the lack of appropriate labeling.

I had planned the story in 5 stages at the outset, and my early notes and even, the early drafts, always titled them, Epic-I thru Epic-V; they were formally titled later. When the series was first marketed, it was not deemed 'needful' to confuse the listing with that degree of complexity; perhaps, in hindsight, a mistake. But realize: my buying editors in London had NOT read anything but the volume in hand, as I produced it. The trust situation between them, and me, was always, give it to us when it is finished. They wanted to read each installment with NO preconceptions; so really, standing where you are now (at Vol I complete) they hadn't a clue what was coming.

And, I think, really couldn't - at the FINISH of Arc III, Stormed Fortress, the shape of the arc delineation really hits home. By now the editors are seasoned to the contour of each part of the story; and while they don't know yet what arc IV (two vols) or Arc V (one vol, total) will hold, yet, they can see the convergency and the ramping of each arc, one into the next; so they should be prepared for the STRUCTURE and its delivery. If I do my job the punch will outmatch everything before.

On your granddaughter, and how have preteens responded: they are very rare, but they exist. My youngest reader, EVER, was eleven, and she was scary smart! Next youngest was 12/13 - past that I don't know. It really depends on your granddaughter. I have done books with younger protagonists - Cycle of Fire - which starts with Stormwarden; that's not available in e book, yet, but it was recently released in audio by Audible Books. You can find it at audible's sites, and also at itunes store. My first book, Sorcerer's Legacy, was a simpler read - but it is out of print. There are excerpts of some of the books on my website - some converted for e formats, to help you with the smorgasbord. If I can be of any assistance to you, helping you to choose, feel free to message me.

Thank you for your pre-order, that is a huge vote cast in favor of this series, much appreciated.

[Deborah]

I found this thread because I am in the middle of re-reading the series. I purchased Initiat's Trial and started reading, only to discover I didn't remember anything from the previous book. When I went searching for my copy, I found it in the basket with the stuff I had for feeding my first born when he was a new born (he is now 5). So I either a) read it and have no memeory of it due to sleep deprivation or b) didn't read it and didn't even remember that I hadn't (also due to sleep deprivation!)

In any case, I love these books. I've been a fan since I read Curse in '95(?), while I was in college. I'm looking forward to reading these discussions.

[Sandra]

Glad to find another Wars of Light and Shadow lover!